Ulster County Community College Children's Center, Stone Ridge

The Children’s Center serves children between the ages of 6 weeks and 5 years. The program is licensed by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. Our licensing capacity is 50 children, but we can often accommodate more children because of varying attendance schedules.The center operates 12 months a year, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 7:30am to 5:00pm. The Director and Head Teachers, in accordance with New York State day care licensing regulations, establish an educational early childhood program. The Children’s Center offers an educational preschool and childcare program designed to meet the developmental needs of the children we serve. We support the individual growth of all children in key developmental areas in order for the children to reach their fullest potential and develop positive self-concepts in the process. Our commitment is to meet the needs of parents as much as possible within our allowable schedule. The Children's Center staff consists of a Director, Assistant Director, Head Teachers, Assistant Teachers, and a Kitchen Aid/Floater who are all qualified under New York State licensing regulations. The Center is staffed with trained/experienced teachers and assistants. All staff members are screened through the State Central Registry of Child Abuse and Maltreatment and a criminal history check is performed. Each classroom has either one or two Head Teachers and/or a Teacher Assistant. All teachers must complete required trainings in all areas of the New York State regulations, child abuse and maltreatment, safety and security procedures, principles of childhood development, nutrition and health needs, identification and prevention of shaken baby syndrome, child day care program development, and classroom management. These trainings keep all teachers current on what is required by the state regulations and the changes in early childhood development. Classroom environments encourage cognitive development, problem solving skills, literacy and math skills, language development, creativity, physical development, and social and emotional growth. We place a strong emphasis on the fact that children learn through play. As they interact with their environment and the people in it they make new discoveries. To enable each child to develop and meet the goals we have set, the curriculum provides for various areas of exploration and discovery. Play fosters symbolic, abstract thinking and sets the stage for success in communication, reading and writing. Social make believe play is critical to developing cooperation, empathy, impulse control and social-emotional health.